Method for producing panty hose

ABSTRACT

The slitting and seaming together of hosiery blanks for producing panty hose is carried out by a single operator and during the usual everting, inspecting and toe seaming operation. The hosiery blanks are slit as they are drawn onto a tubular hosiery form and the upper end engages a heated wire slitter supported on one side of the tubular form and a predetermined distance from the open free end of the form. The heated wire slitter is supported between spaced guide plates which aid in directing the panty forming end portion of the hosiery blanks into engagement with the heated wire slitter.

United States Patent Bailey Aug. 26, 1975 METHOD FOR PRODUCING PANTYHOSE Primar Examinerl-l. Ham ton Hunter 75 l t B|llE.Bl ,H d ,N.C. y P l1 men or ey en arson Attorney, Agent, or FirmParrott, Bell, Seltzer,Park [73] Assignee: America] Corporation, Henderson, & Gib

[22] Filed: Aug. 30, 1974 [57] ABSTRACT [21 1 APPL NOJ 502,163 Theslitting and seaming together of hosiery blanks for producing panty hoseis carried out by a single operator and during the usual everting,inspecting and toe [52] US. Cl; 2/224 R; l l2/l2l.l5; 223/43 seamingOperation h hosiery blanks are Slit as they [51] Int. Cl. A41B 9/04 aredrawn (mm a tubular hosiery form and the upper [58] Field of Search2/224 R, 227, 243; end engages a heamd wire Slitter Supported on one 112/12l'15, 12114 262; 223/43 1 12 side of the tubular form and apredetermined distance from the open free end of the form. The heatedwire [56] References cued slitter is supported between spaced guideplates which UNITED STATES PATENTS aid in directing the panty formingend portion of the 3,641,589 2 1972 Bryant 2/224 R hosiery blanks intoengagement with the heated Wire 3,671,352 6/1972 Andersen.... 2/224 Rslitter.

3,7ll,866 1/1973 Vorbcrg ll2/I2l.l4 3,793,649 2/1974 Matthews et al2/224 R 2 f 5 D'awmg Flgures METHOD FOR PRODUCING PANTY HOSE Thisinvention relates generally to the method and apparatus for producingpanty hose and more particularly to the performance of the everting,inspecting, toe seaming, slitting and seaming together of a pair ofhosiery blanks by a single operator.

The usual practice in producing panty hose is to knit seamless tubularhosiery blanks in right-side-out condition, transport the knit blanks toa first sewing operator where the blanks are everted, inspected and thetoe ends are closed by a seaming operation, and then transport theclosed toe hosiery blanks to another operator where the upper ends areslit in a longitudinal direction and the slit edges of pairs of hosieryblanks are seamed together, with or without crotch patches or connectingpanels, to complete the production of the panty hose. This usual methodof producing panty hose requires unnecessary handling operations,thereby increasing production cost, and also increases the likelihood offorming picks and snags in the panty hose.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a method and apparatus for producing panty hose wherein theslitting of the hosiery blanks and seaming together of adjacent hosieryblanks is performed immediately following the usual everting, inspectingand toe seaming operation and by the same operator to thereby reduce theamount of handling required for the production of panty hose.

In accordane with the present invention, the method of producing thepanty hose includes knitting pairs of seamless tubular blanks inright-side-out condition, drawing the panty forming end of a firsthosiery blank up and over a tubular inspection form to evert the blankwhile engaging the panty forming end of the blank with a heated wireslitter which is fixed on the outside of the tubular form tolongitudinally slit the first blank a predetermined distance from theend thereof as the panty forming end of the first blank is drawn up theoutside of the tubular form to a predetermined location on the form. Thetoe end of the first blank is then sewn to close the same and this blankis turned back to rightside-out condition while it is removed from theform. These steps are then performed on a second tubular hosiery blankand the two blanks are joined together by seaming the correspondingedges of the slits to form the panty portion of the garment.

The apparatus for everting, inspecting and slitting tubular hosieryblanks is positioned immediately adjacent a sewing machine and includesan elongated tubular form having an open free end with a suction sourceconnected to the other end of the tubular form for drawing air inwardlythrough the open end and along the length of the form. A heated wireslitter is supported on one side of the tubular form and a predetermineddistance from the open end thereof. The heated wire slitter comprises apair of guide plates extending longitudinally of the tubular form andincluding portions tapering outwardly and away from the open end of thetubular form so that the upper end of a hosiery blank is slit as it isdrawn upwardly on the form and along the outwardly tapering portions ofthe guide plates to engage the heated wire slitter and slit the hosieryblank.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceedswhen taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1is an isometric view of the everting, inspecting and slitting apparatusof the present invention and illustrating a fragmentary portion of thesupporting table and sewing machine supported adjacent the open free endthereof;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the upper end of the apparatus shown inFIG. 1 and illustrating the manner in which the upper end of a hosieryblank is slit by the heated wire slitter as it is drawn up onto thetubular,

form to the proper position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary isometric view of the apparatus illustrating themanner in which the toe end of the stocking is closed while a portion ofthe slit end of the hosiery blank is maintained on the tubular form;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the upper end of a panty hose,illustrating the manner in which the slit edges of two adjacent hosieryblanks are seamed together to complete the panty portion thereof; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged isometric view, with parts broken away, of theslitting device removed from the tubular form.

The everting, inspecting and slitting apparatus includes an elongatetubular form 10 having an open free end 11 (FIG. 1). The other endportion of the form 10 is suitably supported in-spaced relationshipabove a work table 12 by means of a support block 13. The other end ofthe tubular form 10 is suitably connected to a convenient suctionsource, not shown, so that air is drawn inwardly through the open freeend 11 and along the length of the tubular form 10 to create suctioncurrents therein. A conventional sewing machine 14 is supported on thework table 12 and in spaced apart relationship adjacent the free end 11of the tubular form 10. This sewing machine 14 may be of anyconventional type and is preferably of the type which is adapted to forman overedged seam and which is provided with a trimmer for cutting awaythe excess material just prior to the overedge seam being formed.

A heated hot wire slitter, broadly indicated at 15, is supported on oneside of the tubular form 10 and is positioned a predetermined distancefrom the open free end 11. The heated wire slitter 15 includes a pair ofguide plates extending longitudinally of the elongate tubular form 10and having portions 16, 17 tapering outwardly and away from the open end11 of the tubular form (FIG. 5). A spacer plate 18 maintains the forwardends of the guide plates in spaced apart relationship and a spacer block19 extends across and between the rear ends of the guide plates 16, 17.Upper and lower guard portions 20, 21 extend parallel with the tube 10and are joined to the outwardly tapering portions 16, 17 to define slotstherebetween.

As best illustrated in FIG. 5, the heated wire, indicated at 23, isU-shaped and the legs thereof extend into and are supported in thespacer block 19. Electric wires 24, 25 are connected to the legs of theU-shaped heated wire 23 and are suitably connected to any source ofelectrical energy, not shown. The medial portion of the U-shaped heatedwire 23 extends across and between the slots in the guide plates so thatthe heated wire is protected from engagement by the operator. When theupper end of a hosiery blank is drawn up the tubular form 10, it isguided up the outwardly tapering portions l6, 17 of the guide plates andinto engagement with the transversely extending medial portion of thewire 23 so that the fabric is slit. Slots 26 are provided in the guideplates and a band 27 extends through the slots and around the tubularform to maintain the heated wire slitter 15 in the desired longitudinalposition on the form 10. A guide bandor mark 28 is provided near the endof the form 10 as an indication to the operator where the upper end ofthe hosiery blank 50 is to be drawn in order to provide the desiredlength of slit in one side of the tubular hosiery blank.

METHOD OF OPERATION The method of producing panty hose in accordancewith the present invention includes knitting seamless tubular hosieryblanks in right-side-outcondition with one end of each blank beingadapted to form the toe and the other end being adapted to form'one-halfthe panty portion and one-half of the waist opening of the panty hose.As is well-known, hosiery blanks are usually produced by a hosieryknitting machine with both ends open and it is the usual custom toemploy a fine denier yarn in knitting the leg portion and to employ aheavier denier yarn in the upper portion of the hosiery blank which isadapted to form the panty portion of the panty hose. The sheer legs ofthe hosiery blank are indicated at 30 in FIG. 4 and the heavier denierpanty portion is indicated at 31. If desired, a turned welt waistbandportion, indicated at 32 in FIG. 4, may be formed on the knittingmachine.

The knit hosiery blanks are placed near the sewing machine operator andpanty hose are produced from pairs of the seamless tubular blanks at thesingle operator station illustrated in FIG. 1. The toe end of the firstof the blanks is positioned adjacent the open end 11 of the tubular form10 so that the toe end and a substantial length of the first blank isdrawn into the tubular form by suction currents therein, as illustratedin FIG. 1. The upper panty forming portion of the tubular blank is thendrawn up and over the tubular form 10 to evert this first blank. As theupper end of the first blank is drawn up the outside of the tubularform, it engages and rides up the tapered portions 16, 17 of the heatedwire slitter l and the fabric is slit by the medial portion of theU-shaped heated wire 23, as illustrated in FIG. 2. When the upper end ofthe blank reaches the indicator line or mark 28, the upper end of thehosiery blank has been slit to the desired length. While in thiscondition, the blank may be inspected for defects and the upper end ofthe hosiery blank is then moved downwardly on the form to substantiallythe position shown in FIG. 3 and the operator proceeds to close the toeend of the hosiery blank by use of the sewing machine 14. The closed toeend of the hosiery blank is then permitted to be drawn into the form 10so that the blank is turned back to right-side-out condition as theoperator withdraws the hosiery blank out of the tubular form 10.

A second hosiery blank is then everted, inspected, slit and the toeclosed in the same manner as the first blank. The operator then connectsthe corresponding slit edges of the two hosiery blanks together by aseaming operation, as by a U-shaped seam, indicated at 33 in FIG. 4. Theseam 33 extends from the rear of the garment at the waist openingdownwardly, through the crotch of the garment and up the front to thewaist opening. If desired, a crotch patch or panel may be insertedbetween the edges of the two hosiery blanks to provide increased widthin the desired portions of the panty of the panty hose.

Thus, the everting, inspecting, slitting, toe closing and joiningtogether of pairs of hosiery blanks is carried out at a single positionand by a single operator to thereby reduce the number of handlings whichare required of the stocking blanks in-the formation of panty hose.Further, the slitting-of the fabric by the heated wire 23 tends ,to fusethe yarn ends and aids in preventing runs and the like in the pantyhose. Also, the configuration of the guide plates above. and below theheated wire 23 protect the operator from engagement with the heated wireas the upper end of the hosiery blank is drawn up onto the form 10.

In the drawings and specification there has been se forth a preferredembodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation.

That which is claimed is:

1. A method of producing panty hose which comprises the steps of a.knitting a pair of seamless tubular blanks in rightside-out conditionwith one end of each blank being adapted to form the toe end and theother end being adapted to form one-half the panty portion,

b. positioning the toe end of the'first of said blanks adjacent the openend of a tubular form so that the toe end and a substantial length ofsaid first blank is drawn into said tubular form by suction currentstherein,

0. drawing the panty formingend of said first blank up and over saidtubular form to evert said first blank while engaging the panty formingend of said first blank with a heated wire slitter fixed on the outsideof said tubular form to longitudinally slit said first blank apredetermined distance from the end thereof as the panty forming end ofsaid first blank is drawn up the outside of said tubular form to apredetermined location,

d. sewing the toe end of said first blank to close the same,

e. turning said first blank back to right-side-out condition whileremoving the same from said tubular form,

f. repeating steps (b) through (e) with a second tubular blank, and

g. seaming together the corresponding edges of the slits in the pantyforming ends of said first and second blanks to join the two blankstogether and form the panty portion of the panty hose.

2. A method of producing panty hose from a pair of tubular hosieryblanks with each blank having a toe portion at one end and a pantyforming portion at the other end, said method comprising the steps of a.drawing the panty end of a first hosiery blank up and over a tubularform with a heated wire slitter fixed on the outside of said tubularform to longitudinally slit the blank a predetermined distance from theend thereof while the panty forming end of said blank is being drawn upthe outside of said tubular form, moving the panty portion of said blankdownwardly along said tubular form and away from said slitter,

b. slitting a second hosiery blank in the same manner set forth in step(a), and

c. sewing the slit edges of the blanks together to form the pantyportion of the panty hose.

1. A method of producing panty hose which comprises the steps of a.knitting a pair of seamless tubular blanks in right-side-out conditionwith one end of each blank being adapted to form the toe end and theother end being adapted to form one-half the panty portion, b.positioning the toe end of the first of said blanks adjacent the openend of a tubular form so that the toe end and a substantial length ofsaid first blank is drawn into said tubular form by suction currentstherein, c. drawing the panty forming end of said first blank up andover said tubular form to evert said first blank while engaging thepanty forming end of said first blank with a heated wire slitter fixedon the outside of said tubular form to longitudinally slit said firstblank a predetermined distance from the end thereof as the panty formingend of said first blank is drawn up the outside of said tubular form toa predetermined location, d. sewing the toe end of said first blank toclose the same, e. turning said first blank back to right-side-outcondition while removing the same from said tubular form, f. repeatingsteps (b) through (e) with a second tubular blank, and g. seamingtogether the corresponding edges of the slits in the panty forming endsof said first and second blanks to join the two blanks together and formthe panty portion of the panty hose.
 2. A method of producing panty hosefrom a pair of tubular hosiery blanks with each blank having a toeportion at one end and a panty forming portion at the other end, saidmethod comprising the steps of a. drawing the panty end of a firsthosiery blank up and over a tubular form with a heated wire slitterfixed on the outside of said tubular form to longitudinally slit theblank a predetermined distance from the end thereof while the pantyforming end of said blank is being drawn up the outside of said tubularform, moving the panty portion of said blank downwardly along saidtubular form and away from said slitter, b. slitting a second hosieryblank in the same manner set forth in step (a), and c. sewing the slitedges of the blanks together to form the panty portion of the pantyhose.